Andrews – In a game with important conference implications, as well as it being Senior Night, the Andrews varsity basketball teams rose to the occasion and came out with a pair of victories.
On Saturday, the Wildcats’ boys faced Swain County again and won to advance in the Smoky Mountain Conference tournament.
Prior to Senior Night in The Valley on Feb. 11, basketball seniors Kylie Donaldson, Demi Davis, Ty Clark, Kegan Ellis, Braxton Rickett, Eli Aguilar and Landon Greene, as well as indoor track’s William Wood, were honored.
Boys varsity
On Feb. 11, the Swain County Maroon Devils came to Andrews, where the teams faced off for the second time this season. The Wildcats won 64-52 in a four-quarter battle.
The Cats built an 11-2 lead midway through the first quarter, but Swain fought back to make it a two-point game heading to the second quarter. Andrews held the lead, but it remained a close game, as Swain hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to make it a two-point game heading into halftime.
Throughout the third quarter, the teams stayed within a few points of each other. It got heated during the second half, as each side loudly cheered after their team made a basket. Swain, down three points as the clock counted down, made a three-pointer as the red light on the backboard illuminated to tie the game at 44 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Andrews began to pull away and wiped out any possibility of an overtime period that fans might have thought could happen based on the first three quarters. Andrews built a 10-point lead with two minutes left in the game and held on to secure the important conference win.
Gabe Clark led the Wildcats with 24 points, including seven 3-pointers. Seniors Ellis, Rickett and Clark were all in double digit points.
After the game, Andrews senior Ty Clark spoke on how much it meant to get the win on Senior Night.
“It meant a lot more to us because we had Landon [Greene] coming back. I got super emotional because Landon and I have been playing basketball since we were 8 years old, so I love to have him back out there. It meant a lot to me tonight, I’ll never forget it,” Clark said.
Wildcats head coach Matt Maennle said it was good – and emotional – to get the win on Senior Night.
“It’s a really fun group … These seniors played well. I wanted to try and get Landon in there at the end of the game, but it ended kind of fast … It’s a great group of seniors. Thankful for each of them, that’s for sure,” Maennle said.
Clark spoke about his message to the team in close games, like vs. Swain.
“Do not let the energy drop off. You’re going to miss shots, you’re going to have guys hit shots on you. That energy and that effort should never drop,” Clark said.
“The message is, ‘Hey, don’t get flustered, we’re good, but keep playing hard because at the end of the day, if you keep playing hard
then good stuff is going to happen.’ ”
Following their loss to Murphy on Thursday, the Cats were seeded No. 3 in the conference tournament. In Saturday’s first-round matchup, they took on Swain again and beat them for a third time this season.
The Cats took an early lead and didn’t look back. It was close in the first quarter, as the Cats led 16-13. In the second quarter, Andrews took off, scoring 22 points and only allowing Swain to score six points to lead 38-19 at halftime.
In the first half, senior Ty Clark hit a shot to reach the milestone of 1,000 points in his high school career. Clark is the second Wildcat this season after Kylie Donaldson hit the milestone earlier in the season.
Coming out of halftime, the Cats extended their lead with 16 more points. Swain made a late fourth-quarter push, but the Cats still outscored the Maroon Devils 23-17 in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats went on to win 77-45.
Following their win over Swain, the Cats played Cherokee on Feb. 18. Results will be in the Feb. 26 edition of the Cherokee Scout.
Lady Wildcats
In their lone home game last week, the Lady Wildcats defeated Swain County 58-41 to inch closer to securing the No. 2 seed in the SMC and a first round bye.
In their matchup over Swain, senior Donaldson hit a layup to get the scoring started after two scoreless minutes to start the game.
The Lady Cats took a 13-6 lead to the second quarter. In the second quarter, they built onto their lead, then extended it to 10 points three minutes into the quarter. In the final minute, they extended their lead to 20 points. Swain scored late points for the Lady Cats to lead 32-14 at halftime.
Three minutes into the third quarter, the Lady Cats got back to a 20-point lead. They held onto the big lead thanks to solid defense throughout the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the first points of the quarter came three minutes in on a Swain free throw. With 28.2 seconds left, Donaldson hit a 3-pointer for the final regular-season points of her high school career. After making the 3, she checked out of the game and received loud applause from her teammates and the crowd.
The Lady Cats went on to win 58-41, securing the No. 2 seed to play Feb. 18 against Hayesville. Results will be in the Feb. 26 edition of the Cherokee Scout.